UN condemns attempted Houthi strike on Riyadh as Yemen displacement surges past 130,000

“We reiterate our condemnation of the continued Houthi cross‑border attacks against Saudi Arabia, including the attempt to target Riyadh,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the daily noon briefing, adding that Houthi forces had also struck civilians and energy infrastructure elsewhere in the kingdom.

Mr. Dujarric said the UN remained “deeply concerned” about the military escalation in and around Yemen, including Houthi offensives against Saudi-backed Government forces in Ta’iz, Lahj and Marib, and called on all parties to exercise restraint and uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the prohibition on attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The UN’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, is in Muscat this week for talks with senior Omani officials and Houthi representatives.

Displacement accelerating

The escalation follows a new wave of clashes between Saudi‑backed Yemeni Government forces and Iran‑backed Houthi militia.

Since early September, Houthi forces have pushed along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and seized territory near the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, a key chokepoint for oil and global shipping.

Saudi Arabia has responded with hundreds of air strikes, and the Houthis have retaliated with drone and missile attacks in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Nearly 130,000 people have now been forced from their homes across Yemen in the past few weeks, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Thousands fleeing each day

The numbers are climbing fast: on 18 September, IOM recorded 118,086 displaced people; three days later the figure had risen by 11,352.

OCHA told journalists that over the weekend alone, 21,000 households had been displaced across the country since 1 August, most of them in Ta’iz and Lahj, with the figure expected to rise as registration continues.

Ta’iz hosts the most displaced people, with 73,494, followed by Lahj with 33,828, Aden with 8,946 and Al Hodeidah with 8,244, IOM figures show.

More than 3,100 people have crossed the Red Sea to Djibouti since the escalation began.

These latest movements add to a decade of conflict, economic collapse and environmental disaster that had already displaced 4.8 million Yemenis, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

Health system under strain

Health workers are paying a heavy price. On Friday, ambulances were attacked in Lahj governorate, killing a driver and an emergency medical responder.

Nine health facilities have been damaged, closed or directly attacked in Ta’iz, Lahj and Al Hodeidah, and hospitals treating the wounded are running short of blood, anaesthesia and surgical supplies, OCHA said.

The UN reproductive health agency (UNFPA) estimates that more than 2,700 pregnant women are among the displaced, with 300 due to give birth within two weeks.

Key obstetric facilities have closed in Ta’iz, forcing some women to give birth in the open without skilled care.

Response hampered

Insecurity, damaged roads, telecommunications disruptions and damage to Al Makha port are hampering the humanitarian response, UNHCR said.

Humanitarian partners have reached nearly 13,000 displaced households with rapid response kits, and the World Health Organization has delivered surgical supplies and antibiotics to four hospitals in Aden and Marib.

“These are families who have lost their homes and their income,” said IOM official Belbeisi. “They are arriving in towns that were already struggling. Host communities are sharing the little they have, but they cannot do it alone.”

OCHA said the response continues to face funding shortfalls and access constraints, and repeated the UN’s call on parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and allow safe, unhindered delivery of aid wherever it is needed.

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